Court Correspondent :
Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday fixed a division bench of the High Court to hear the death references and appeals in the case filed over the seven murders of Narayanganj in 2014.
“The Chief Justice has assigned High Court Division bench comprising Justice Bhabani Prasad Singh and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam to hear the matter. The judges will now set a date for hearing,” said High Court’s Additional Registrar (Administration and Judicial) Md Sabbir Faiz on Wednesday. Earlier, on Tuesday, the High Court ordered to appoint counsels at state’s cost to defend five fugitive convicts, who were sentenced to death in the case.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain passed the order, asking the solicitor wing of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to comply with the order within the next seven working days.
A Narayanganj court on January 16, 2017 sentenced 26 persons to death, including main accused Nur Hossain and three sacked military officers, who served in Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on deputation in the year 2014.
The court simultaneously sentenced nine others to different terms in jail finding their involvement in the murders. Of the convicts, nine are still at large.
Narayanganj City Corporation councilor Nazrul Islam along with his three companions and driver were kidnapped by a team of RAB-11 on April 27 in 2014.
Besides, Senior Lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver Ibrahim were also picked up by the same team as they witnessed the abduction of Nazrul and his associates.
Subsequently all the seven bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river. Two cases were filed in this connection- one by Nazrul’s family and the other by Chandan’s family.
